Angara
to the southwest by the Gondowan Passage across a river.]]Angara (アンガラ大陸 Angara Continent) is the northern central landmass on Weyard. The majority of the first and third Golden Sun ''games are set here. As a result, Angara appears to be the most densely populated continent in Weyard, and the majority of party members consider it their home. Culture Angara features a multitude of settlements, ranging from quiet villages to bustling cities, some of which feature rather unique cultures. Most of them acted as city-states during Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age. However, during the thirty years leading up to Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, many of the more prominent cities, such as Bilibin, have taken on expansionist goals and have grown into countries of various sizes. Geography and Climate Angara is bordered by oceans on three sides - the west, the east, and the north, although ice packs to the far north effectively link it to the Northern Reaches - and by Gondowan to the south, the two continents separated by the Karagol Sea. It is worth noting, however, that the city of Tolbi is considered part of Angara, despite being on the opposite side of the Karagol Sea. Angara is littered with mountain ranges that effectively isolate separate regions of the continent, although there are several ways to circumnavigate them. Most of Angara appears to be of temperate climate, although there are exceptions: The far north and mountainous regions appear to be perpetually snowbound, while the southeast is home to a notoriously hot desert. As a result of certain events near the end of Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Weyard's geography has begun to shift and change. Angara in particular, while the basic shape remains intact, looks significantly different between The Lost Age and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. Golden Sun and The Lost Age The mountainous Goma Range, in addition to encompassing the Lamakan Desert in the southeast, cuts the northernmost and southwestern regions of Angara off from the rest of the continent, although some caves are used to travel between these regions. Nestled in a junction in the western half of the Goma Range is Mt. Aleph, a major landmark, and Vale, the hometown of half of the protagonists from the first two games. Along the northeast edge of the continent is Kolima Forest. The rest of Angara appears to be prairies and light patches of forests separated by rivers, although falling Psynergy Stones have caused an unnatural forest to appear along the eastern edge of the continent. Due to the abundance of mountains, most of Angara's coastlines are made up of rocky cliffs. Ironically, those same mountains cut off the few beaches Angara has, creating isolated regions that can only be reached by sea. Dark Dawn Thirty years pass between the end of The Lost Age and the beginning of Dark Dawn. Combined with the rapid changes Weyard is experiencing, this means that Angara's layout is notably different. The Goma Range has begun breaking apart, particularly in the area that once separated Kalay and Bilibin, and is now referred to as the Goma Plateau. The eastern portion of the mountain range is still mostly intact, but is now identified as the Khiren Mountains. This mountain range still overlooks the Lamakan Desert (or rather, what is left of the desert), as well as the recently revived, though originally arid, Ei-Jei region that makes up the majority of southern Angara. One of the more drastic changes to Angara's geography is that the entire Kolima Forest has been relocated farther east, effectively taking the place of the swamp that was originally there. The area formerly occupied by Kolima has since been filled with seawater and is now home to the Morgal region's new capital, Belinsk. On a related note, Angara's coastlines are now much more boat-friendly, although there are still some areas, such as Champa, that can only be reached by ship. The Karagol Sea is no longer landlocked and connects to the oceans to both the west and the east, effectively cutting Gondowan off from Angara. To make matters worse, a rather curious change to Weyard is that many steep cliffs crossing the entire world have begun sprouting up. One of these cliffs runs right along the boundary between Angara and the Karagol Sea. It is worth mentioning that the recent geologic activity has unearthed many ancient ruins, some of which serve as shortcuts between otherwise-isolated regions. Overworld Regions In terms of the gameplay, Angara can be separated into several regions defined by the wild monsters that can be randomly fought while traversing the continent. Upper western region The northwestern region of Angara encompassing Mt. Aleph and Sol Sanctum, Vale, Vault, Lunpa, West Lunpa Cave and the entrance to Goma Cave. It borders the lower western region and one can freely travel between the two regions once the bridge is repaired later in ''Golden Sun. Before that, one must travel to the upper center and eastern regions. Upper center and eastern regions This region encompasses the exit to Goma Cave, Bilibin, the entrance to Bilibin Cave, Bilibin Barricade, Kolima, Kolima Forest, and the entrance to Kolima Bridge. When one firsts enters this region, the far north region is accessible, and after curing Tret Kolima Bridge opens up to allow access to the Mid-eastern region. After making it through Bilibin Barricade, walk west along the stretch of horizontal land and search the forest at the end for the Turtle Boots. This is the only item in either game that can be found by searching the ground on the overworld map. An apparent programming oversight causes your random battles to select the far stronger enemies of the enemy list normally fought in the lower eastern-and-central areas of Angara, rather than the weaker bestiary below, when you hug the top of the mountains a very short ways southeast of Bilibin Barricade and engage in battles, particularly at the lone tree to the right of the tiny patch of forest. Far north region This region is winter-locked and snowy. It encompasses the exit to Bilibin Cave, Imil, and Mercury Lighthouse. One must come here to complete the plot progression at Mercury Lighthouse before being able to move onward. If you use a cheat device to make your character go through the mountains, you can see Angara and Gondowan in the winter time, until you enter an area or fight a monster, after which the overworld map reverts to its basic state. Mid-eastern region This region encompass the exit to Kolima Bridge, Fuchin Temple, Fuchin Falls Cave, and the entrance to Mogall Forest. Fuchin Temple and the waterfall grotto therein is an optional location, but acquiring the Force Psynergy within helps you find your way through Mogall Forest easier. Lower eastern and center regions This large region encompasses the exit to Mogall Forest, Xian, Silk Road, Altin, Altin Peak, and the entrance to Lamakan Desert. If the player travels north of Xian along the vertical stretch of land and crosses a bridge to a small island, a random battle encounter with a Mars Djinni will ensue, the first possible overworld Djinn battle. Lower central region This region encompasses the exit to Lamakan Desert, Kalay, the entrance to Kalay Tunnel that connects to Kalay, Kalay Docks, and the northern entrance to Gondowan Cave. North of the exit from the desert, a certain Venus Djinni can be found in a random encounter. Its location is either found on a circular island across a bridge or up a northern path along the Goma Range on a patch of brown and dark green ground. Lower western region This is where Tolbi is, and has shores on the Karagol Sea. South of Tolbi is the Gondowan Passage, a bridge leading into Gondowan, while northwest of Tolbi is Altmiller Cave. On the eastern side of the Karagol Sea is Gondowan Cave, which is a passage to the other side of the Karagol Sea. West of Tolbi, south of the bridge to Altmiller Cave, is a forest along the west coast where a random battle with a Mercury Djinni may be encountered. South coastal region This is the southern shoreline inaccessible from land during Golden Sun but accessible by sea during The Lost Age. It encompasses Champa and Ankohl Ruins. Interestingly, this region changes dramatically between the two games: in the original, it is a grassy plain with a long beach coast; in the sequel, it is filled with forests, mountains and the locations mentioned above. West coastal region This is the western coast of Angara that is not accessible from land during Golden Sun but accessible by sea during The Lost Age. It encompasses Loho and Angara Cave where one can acquire the Haures summon sequence. There is also a frozen coast of land similar to Kalt Island, Tundaria, the overworld around Prox, and the overworld around Imil, located north of the mountains where Angara Cave is found. This coast can also be accessed by sea, and is across the mountains from Imil and the Mercury Lighthouse. Similarly to the south coastal region, this area changes dramatically between the two games; however, unlike the south coastal region, it had forests and a road leading partially into the snowy region north, though not all the way to the location mentioned above. However, in the second game, mountains, beaches, rivers, and the locations mentioned above are all added to the region. In addition, the road is slightly changed, and the two sections of the region are cut off by the mountains. A popular glitch in Golden Sun: The Lost Age is located here. It involves disembarking from your ship at the bottommost area of a particular beach at a certain angle, and allows you to walk most of the overworld land of Angara (except Bilibin, Imil, Kolima, Xian Regions in Angara and the Lalivero Region in Gondowan) as it was featured in Golden Sun (with a lot of locations missing and only Mt. Aleph, Vale, Imil, Mercury Lighthouse, Venus Lighthouse, and Babi's Lighthouse seen). Real World Inspiration The continent may take its name from Angara, the ancient craton of Siberia, which originally was an independent continent. The style of the towns in Angara is mostly based on Western European styles, thatch rooves, etc. The settlements in the far east of Angara resemble East Asia, notably China. Kalay, on the other hand, resembles the Near East to a certain degree, with the soldiers wearing turbans and the Arabian style roofs on the houses. Category:Places in Angara Category:Places